1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera which includes a built-in flash unit, or a removably attachable flash unit, capable of moving between a projected position and a retracted position and having a variable illumination angle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A camera which includes a built-in flash unit having a flash zooming mechanism and which is capable of moving up and down has conventionally been proposed.
As described in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application No. Hei 1-157328, it has been proposed to provide a turnable, or movable, flash unit including a flash zooming mechanism and a drive motor therefor. However, this kind of unit has a number of disadvantages. For example, since a dedicated actuator for driving the flash zooming mechanism needs to be incorporated in the turnable flash unit, the cost and weight of the flash unit increase, and the size of the flash unit itself increases.
As described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. Hei 1-164933, it has been proposed to provide an arrangement in which zooming of a flash unit is carried out by utilizing as a drive source a motor provided in a camera body. This arrangement has the disadvantage that the interface mechanism is complex and high-precision parts are needed since a planetary clutch mechanism is used for a power output gear in the camera body and a gear which is meshed with the planetary gear moves in interlocked relation to the up/down operation of the flash unit.
A camera with a flash unit including a red-eye preventing lamp has conventionally been provided, and one type of this camera has an arrangement in which such a lamp is incorporated in a flash part for flashing light at a subject.
However, the arrangement of laying out the lamp in the flash part has the disadvantage that since the size of the flash part increases and the area in which the flash unit can be made to move for flash zooming is limited, a desirable stroke is difficult to attain.